3.

While the world was in an uproar over the final dungeon, the wedding itself came to a spectacular close.

Most of the guests had come with a question they wanted to ask him in person, but there was also a more pure, heartfelt blessing than ever before. Above all, the happiness of the bride and groom was overwhelming.

’So this is what a wedding is like!’

He had never really had any particular dreams or fantasies about it, but after taking a full eight days and seven nights to spend entirely with Jeong Seora, he realized all over again just how beautiful and wonderful she was.

“Next time, if there’s a chance, please take me to the continent too.”

“If I can find a way, of course I will.”

Even though they were now bound by marriage, their relationship still felt easy and free of pressure.

After they returned from their trip, they just lazed around the house together without a care in the world.

“You’re still not thinking about the final dungeon yet, are you?” Jeong Seora asked as they relaxed.

She had also taken a proper break and was currently on leave from work, which was only possible because the event had already started and the players had more or less found their footing.

“Yeah. Well, more or less.”

A rich bum.

If he thought back to the days not long ago when he had been fighting for his life on the line, he would probably be reminded of how precious this kind of life was. But since he had already erased those memories from his mind, he just played around without a thought and answered casually.

“No one knows what will happen once we clear the dungeon.”

She fell silent.

That didn’t mean he was truly giving it no thought at all.

If he wanted to, he could enter the 10-star dungeon right now.

He couldn’t say with one hundred percent confidence that he would clear it easily, but with the rewards from the Gold missions, the powers from the 9-star Legendary dungeon, and everything else in his arsenal, he believed he had more than enough of a chance to make a serious attempt if he boosted his specs one more time.

Even so, he hesitated, because the end doesn’t always bring happiness.

“The beginning was humans gaining powers they never had before, so the end might be the reclaiming of that power.”

“There could also be a new beginning.”

“Whatever it is, we still have a lot of life left to live. There’s no need to rush, right?”

It might be selfish.

To leave the dungeons alone, when for some they were entertainment, power, and opportunity, but for others, they were reality, catastrophe, and disaster itself.

If someone pointed a finger at him, he would have no grounds to argue.

He could make excuses, but they would only ever be based on his own standards.

Still, there was no need to cower.

“Once people get used to this, the overall level will rise pretty quickly.”

Public opinion had also shifted. At first, people had vented their complaints about the damage caused by the “final dungeon” event and the increased difficulty, but once they had adapted, different voices began to emerge.

—Not bad, actually?

—The rewards feel way better than the difficulty spike.

—If you go into a lower-level dungeon and get higher rewards, then as long as you’re careful, this is better for leveling than before.

—Feels like high-tier items drop more often.

—I farmed and made a ton of money.

For some, it was an opportunity; for others, a crisis.

Did he really have the right to judge that however he pleased and bring it to an end?

“I think we can enjoy this a little longer.”

Of course, this was not some deep, philosophical conclusion.

For Kim Buja, the standard for every choice was always himself.

“We can raise our levels a bit more and try everything we want to do before we take on the challenge.”

The biggest reason, naturally, was his battle with the Demon King.

He had no interest in fights where he was pressed for time.

He had always been short on money and forced to make up for it with pure skill, but he also loved crushing his enemies with overwhelming power.

He wanted to do the same with the 10-star dungeon.

All the more so when he thought about how his video channel was hitting record-breaking view counts and setting new records every single day.

He was getting greedy. He wanted to leave behind a series of flawless videos, one by one.

That was why he put off the final dungeon.

There were other things he needed to think about first.

“Where should I invest all this Gold?”

For the first time, he was holding more than a hundred million Gold.

It wasn’t exactly a grand achievement or an unforgettable memory, but for some reason, he felt he needed to be careful about how he spent it.

It felt like something he might never achieve again.

“I guess it’s about time I invested in WFFG.”

More than anything, rather than just pumping his specs even higher, he wanted to make a choice that looked toward the future.

On the one hand, he felt that if he cleared the final dungeon right now, he had no idea what would happen. On the other hand, he also had a sense that there would be something after.

Anyone would feel that way.

It had only been a short time, but the dungeons were already approaching their seventh year.

For Kim Buja, the dungeons, which had been with him for nearly a third of his life, now felt like a part of his very existence.

Even if they were a dream that might vanish in an instant, he wanted to look ahead and make plans.

He didn’t agonize over it for long.

If he wanted to do something, he just did it.

* * *

4.

The Empire was rebuilt at a breathtaking pace.

The continent had been devastated by the demon invasion, but even accounting for that, the speed of its recovery was absurd.

There was no special secret to it.

In fact, the widespread destruction was precisely what united the people of the continent. The citizens of the fallen kingdoms all flocked to the Empire, which had preserved some of its original form and still had its holy magic circles of divine power standing.

In truth, the imperial capital had suffered almost no damage.

The people who had been in the capital were horrified when they saw the miserable state of the lands outside, while those from the outside saw the Empire as a land blessed by the gods and headed there.

’Let us drive out the remnants of evil with the Empire at the center.’

The Demon King was dead. The surviving demons would either search for a way back to the Demon Realm or live in hiding, but for the people, there was no greater cause than this.

On top of that, when the saintess herself spoke, there was no room for doubt or objection.

Everyone threw themselves wholeheartedly into rebuilding the Empire. The kingdoms that had belonged to the now-dissolved Allied Nations bowed their heads to the Empire and begged forgiveness for their past sins.

For the first time since its founding, a true Empire.

The birth of an Empire that ruled over the entire continent.

It was the same Empire as before, yet it was also the day they celebrated the founding of a new one.

Countless people flooded into the capital to witness the moment.

The capital was so packed there wasn’t even room to set a foot down.

On the terrace of the imperial palace, which pierced the sky, the ruler stepped out into view.

“Long live Her Imperial Majesty the Empress!”

“Long live!”

A dress that shone with a dazzling light.

A beauty even more radiant than the dress.

She was so high up that they couldn’t see her clearly, but even from the silhouette projected above, everyone could recognize Elinel. In her figure, they could feel the dignity of someone who had overcome every hardship and trial to reach that place.

The end of a long war.

A new beginning.

There was no speech.

She merely showed herself, revealing who the new ruler of the Empire was and announcing her existence to the continent for the first time in nearly twenty years. That alone made the moment meaningful and profound enough.

And in that very moment, a roar rang out.

ROOOOAAAAAR!

A massive shadow swept over the imperial capital.

’Who would dare to block the sun of the Empire!’

When they lifted their heads, they saw it.

Golden scales more brilliant than the sun.

A colossal body and wings.

An overwhelming presence!

The only being that could dare to appear over the imperial capital, blocking the sun on the day the new empress revealed herself.

WAAAAAAAH!

A dragon.

A creature of legend.

Ordinarily, everyone should have been terrified and dropped to their knees.

The dragons of legend looked upon humans as insects and, depending on their mood, could wipe out countless people with a single breath.

But the people gathered here knew better.

They knew how much the dragons had sacrificed to protect the continent.

One of the dragons who had died in the process still had its corpse preserved within the Empire, and people occasionally went to see it.

To them, dragons were no longer objects of fear.

They were guardian deities.

Not some invisible god, but a real being who stayed by their side and protected them.

So when the dragon appeared this time, the cheers rose again.

On the day of the Empire’s new beginning, even a dragon had taken the time to appear and bless them. How could that not be meaningful and profound?

The new Empire, created by all the people of the continent, would endure.

“Buja...!”

In contrast to the citizens, Elinel—no longer a princess but now the Empress—couldn’t hide the joy on her face as she looked up at the dragon.

Kim Buja, who had given so much help and then left while they rebuilt the Empire.

He had come back right on the appointed day.

How could she not be overjoyed?

“Wow. So you’re Her Imperial Majesty the Empress now.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Buja.”

“Of course, of course.”

After showing Hwangdo to the imperial citizens, Kim Buja stepped into Elinel’s chambers. Seeing her still smiling brightly and innocently, he grinned with playful exaggeration.

Nothing had changed.

She had become the empress, but Elinel still beamed at him, her gaze filled with genuine affection.

“Seeing you like this makes me feel a little regretful about giving up the throne.”

“It’s not too late, even now.”

The sultry words she murmured as she came closer, wrapped in a joking tone, made it clear she was no longer a mere princess.

Her beauty was enough to make him swallow without thinking, even though he knew she was teasing.

She had been beautiful from the start, but now, at twenty, sitting on the imperial throne in a dress, she was beyond words.

He couldn’t help but wonder, just for a fleeting moment, whether turning down the temptation of such a princess had really been the right choice.

The thought flickered through his mind for an instant.

But he shook his head firmly.

“Still, I think being emperor would be exhausting. Dramas and reality are different. Waking up at the same time every day, going through reports, dealing with politics... that’s not my style.”

Besides, he had already married Jeong Seora. He wasn’t a free man anymore.

If it had been before he made his choice, that would be one thing, but once a man had chosen, there was no reason to regret it.

“Tch. I even dressed up extra pretty just in case you came.”

He affectionately ruffled the hair of the Empress, who was smiling cutely, and spoke.

“You should come visit Earth sometime if you get the chance.”

“I promise I will!”

It was his coronation gift for her.

He personally explained it to satisfy her curiosity about what it was for.

“It’s called a tablet. Press here to turn it on; you don’t need to charge it. I brought it so you can watch dramas and movies when you get bored with your empress duties.”

A product of the modern world.

He didn’t have some grand ambition to fuse the fantasy continent with Earth’s science, but his level was now high enough that he could bring over at least this much from the Gold Shop.

“Wow!”

The Empress marveled at the video playing on the tablet.

A warm sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.

He might have missed out on the most beautiful woman on the continent, but it felt like that woman had become his most cherished little sister instead.

It was a weird, vaguely taboo sort of feeling, but in any case, when he left her absorbed in the drama she was seeing for the first time and stepped out onto the terrace, the sense of accomplishment only grew stronger.

He had gone back and forth between Earth and the continent, but he had still spent nearly two years in this world.

He had rebuilt a ruined Empire and stopped the Demon King’s invasion.

He had taken part in every step and seen it through.

“All that’s left now is revenge, huh?”

The continent had regained its peace.

But the story wasn’t over.

There was the side story. And one more thing.

“It would be fun if I could find a way to get to Heaven, too.”

The mission was over, but the free continent allowed for more side stories beyond that.

He was even more excited for the journeys to come.

* * *